Victorino A Bato Special Issue No 1 (2013), pp. 12-23

Abstract:

Current Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) preparations do not make use of high- resolution satellite imageries. Therefore, the document does not reflect the true-existing land use condition and cannot be reliably used as baseline information for the formulation of the land use plan. This research utilized geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing methods in the creation of a land use map for the CLUP of Santo Tomas, Batangas, using high-resolution IKONOS satellite image. The IKONOS data utilized for the CLUP has many applications, especially in understanding the landscape, the ecological processes operating within, and assessing potential threats. The resulting land use map generated from the satellite image is more comprehensive than if traditional mapping approaches were used. Accuracy of the map is also high because of the straight-forward identification of land use classes, similar to aerial photographs. The generated land use map is also the most updated because satellite data affords the most recent snapshot of the landscape. Lastly, the process of generating the land use map from high-resolution satellite data is the most cost-effective, compared to the usual ground survey work and aerial photography.